Australia’s Marsh returns home from IPL following injury

NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has returned home after suffering a hamstring niggle in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in a major headache for Australia ahead of the T20 World Cup in June.

The 32-year-old, who is widely expected to captain Australia in the showpiece event in the U.S. and West Indies, sat out Delhi’s last two IPL games against Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants.

A team source confirmed Marsh has returned home but would not rule out the all-rounder’s chances of returning to the league yet. Delhi are currently ninth in the 10-team league with two wins from six matches.

Punjab Kings, who are one place above Delhi, have their own injury issues with skipper Shikhar Dhawan likely to miss their next two games with a shoulder injury. In Dhawan’s absence, Sam Curran led the side in their three-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals on Saturday night.

“Having an experienced opener, somebody like Shikhar, who has experience of playing on such wickets, becomes extremely crucial,” Punjab coach Sanjay Bangar said after their fourth defeat this season.